Father Gabriel Lalemant won the crown the martyrdom on 17 March 1649. The smallest and most delicate in health among all the Jesuit missionaries, he had in six months won, by his iron will and unwavering determination, a martyr's end, in companionship with the spiritual and physical giant of the missions, Jean de Brébeuf.

Essentially the Missal of St. Pius V is the Gregorian Sacramentary; that again is formed from the Gelasian book which depends on the Leonine collection. We find the prayers of our Canon in the treatise “De Sacramentis” and allusions to it in the 4th century. So our Mass goes back, without essential change, to the age when it first developed out of the oldest liturgy of all. It is still redolent of that liturgy, of the days when Caesar ruled the world and thought he could stamp out the faith of Christ, when our fathers met together before dawn and sang a hymn to Christ as to a God. The final result of our enquiry is that, in spite of unsolved problems, in spite of later changes, there is not in Christendom another rite so venerable as ours.
— Fr. Adrian Fortescue (d. 1923)

Watershed was recently sent some information about the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music. We have shared it below.

John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music / January 2013

Dear Friend

E THOUGHT you would like to know the progress of the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in its first year of existence, and we thank you all for your support and interest. Our next event is on Saturday 19th January at the Oratory in the upper cloister chapel from 9.30 – 1.00pm, when Fr Guy Nicholls will be the speaker. The subject will be “What is liturgical music?”

The programme for following months will be on the website by January 10th 2013.

Since its launch in September 2011, the first year has been both busy and complex. The immediate tasks have been to provide a relevant and inspiring programme of events, to investigate the extent and nature of musical needs to be met, and, of course, to remain solvent! With these aims in mind, the Director has travelled and worked widely at home and abroad, teaching, singing and meeting like-minded people so that the Institute’s work is well-informed, purposeful and practical and also involves active and enthused people to further its cause. There has been a series of practical and theoretical talks based in Birmingham, and events in other parts of the United Kingdom such as Glasgow, Cambridge and Cardiff. In September this year, a successful conference was held in Birmingham at the Oratory church and the Oratory primary school in Ladywood and this confirmed the purpose of the Institute and the need for its work. The videos of the lectures are on our website.

At present we are planning next year’s events. These are:

— A series of talks and workshops between January and the end of June, culminating in a conference in October (dates will be confirmed as soon as possible on the web site)

— Working with the Oratory Primary School in Ladywood, Birmingham and its head teacher, Clare Dickinson, to foster the already existing musical development of all children at the school, especially singing

— Looking into the need for a course in sacred music at graduate level

— Developing links with other groups such as the Church Music Association of America

— Giving younger people a voice to express their views

With these elements in mind, practical, supportive and academic, we will work hard to establish a high quality knowledge and skills base to support liturgical music.

Probably, to end this letter, it is best to restate the purpose of liturgical music which can be difficult to explain in a few words, especially to the impatient and unimpressed!This is part of Fr Guy Nicholls’ opening address from our September conference.

Liturgical music, especially singing, is above all, rational music – that is, reasonable. This means that it has a definite content, that of scriptures and the words of the Church’s liturgy. It is the expression of an inward state of submission to God’s word before it can be effective as an outward expression. In other words, the liturgical musician must be himself or herself both a musician and a living member of the Body of Christ. We liturgical musicians must be men and women of prayer and the sacraments. Our contribution to the liturgy must be an expression of our belonging to Christ and not an expression of our own private individuality. That is why the work of the Institute is designed with a double aim: on one hand the greater knowledge of and better implementation of the Church’s already existing treasury of sacred music: and on the other the ever deepening love of the Church as the Body of Christ, enlivened and nourished by the Holy Spirit especially in the realm of her worship. That is why we always aim to provide in our classes and events both a theological and practical component, highlighting aspects of the history and authenticity of liturgical music, and also to put this into practice in celebrating some part of the liturgy, either by a sung celebration of the Mass, or by singing the Divine Office, the church’s own prayer and praise sanctifying the hours of the day and the times and seasons of the year.”

There is much work to be done and we will do our best to keep you informed.

We send you very best wishes for the Christmas Season and hope to hear from you in what will, no doubt be a very busy 2013.

Priests have expressed concern about throwing the Word of God into the garbage every few months. The Isaac Jogues Illuminated Missal contains the complete Sunday readings for Years ABC, complete Gradual texts, and magnificent page layouts.

Watershed assisted the Birmingham Oratory with media work leading up to the Papal visit and Beatification of John Henry Cardinal Newman. Our documentary shorts provide online tours of the Oratory, including the Cardinal’s Room and Library as well as the parish church and its chapels.

St. Jennings was executed for being a Catholic priest. Seized whilst in the act of saying Mass in the house of St. Swithun Wells, he was hanged, drawn and quartered outside the same house. His execution was particularly bloody. St. Swithun Wells was hanged immediately afterwards.

This new Gregorian Chant Mass (with optional organ accompaniment) uses the new ICEL translation of the Roman Missal. We provide free practice videos, vocalist scores in modern and Gregorian notation, congregational booklets, and much more!

Kevin Allen's brilliant new SATB collection of twelve (12) Sacred Motets that can be used all throughout the Liturgical year. 144 Practice videos by Matthew J. Curtis. Optional Psalm tones written out for each piece, in Latin & English.

Here is a newly-composed Gregorian Chant GLORIA in honor of Saint Edmund Arrowsmith (†1628). Please feel free to download the PDF organist scores, PDF vocalist scores (in both Modern and Gregorian notation). This setting uses the new ICEL translation of the Roman Missal.

A 70-page collection of polyphonic Motets that can be sung by the average parish choir! Although the pieces were designed for SSA or TTB choirs, they also work well for mixed choirs. Matthew has also recorded 56 free practice videos to help your choir members learn these beautiful pieces.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will. We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father . . .

If you have an SATB choir that would love a brand new collection of dignified, beautiful, not-too-difficult motets, you need to check out Kevin Allen's "Cantiones Sacrae Simplices." Vocal phenomenon Matthew J. Curtis has also recorded more than 144 practice videos which carefully instruct singers who do not read music well. All 144 training videos are free!

Watershed assisted the Birmingham Oratory with media work leading up to the Papal visit and Beatification of John Henry Cardinal Newman. Our documentary shorts provide online tours of the Oratory, including the Cardinal’s Room and Library as well as the parish church and its chapels.

Distinguished composer Kevin Allen has set twelve Eucharistic Motets for three voices. Although the pieces were designed for SSA or TTB choirs, they also work well for mixed choirs, and a special transposition table has been included for the ease of the choirmaster. Choirmasters and singers will appreciate the fact that these pieces are not difficult to sing.

An hour-long documentary on Sacred Music. Watershed's cameras take you inside the 19th annual Sacred Music Colloquium, sponsored by the Church Music Association of America. The DVD includes a 45-minute, never-before-seen interview with Dr. William Mahrt, CMAA President & Stanford Professor.

The Rt. Rev'd Dom Hervé Courau, Abbat of Notre Dame de Triors, has authorised Watershed to post the Community's Gregorian chant recordings on our sites. For this gracious permission, sincere thanks to Father Abbat, also in the name of all those chanters who will profit from studying these beautiful sung prayers of the Church.

John Henry Newman was born in London (2/21/1801) and died in Birmingham (8/11/1890). As Vicar of St Mary’s Oxford he exerted a profound spiritual influence on the Church of England. Through his extensive published writings and private correspondence he created a greater understanding of the Catholic Church.

This is part of our ongoing Liturgical work, and we are grateful to the many guest composers who generously donate their scores. In addition, we offer free resources for all the other parts of the Mass, and currently provide more than 6,000 free Liturgical scores.

Kevin Allen's world-famous SATB "Tantum Ergo" is now in print. This piece has been enjoyed by many thousands of people, and is featured as the opening piece on "Sacred, Beautiful, & Universal: Colloquium XIX." Corpus Christi Watershed is proud to offer this Motet, along with fourteen other beautiful Motets, in "Cantiones Sacrae II."

Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling
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